Cellulant, a Kenyan payment services provider, is starting a South African business after months of testing the market and is looking to wrap up fundraising for further expansion to the Middle East and UK.

The two-decade old company is looking to tap into South Africa’s mature retail ecosystem, chief business officer Sike Bamisebi said in an interview, with the United Arab Emirates and UK set to follow in the next two years.

Cellulant is about to close its latest fundraising round, she said. While the company hasn’t disclosed the likely amount, it has previously indicated it could raise as much as US$100-million.

“We provide a valuable proposition in South Africa. We work with premium merchants and we give them access to these markets,” Bamisebi said at the Africa Tech Summit in London. “These new markets fall in line with our strategy to prioritise the top markets.”

Payment technology companies have been at the forefront of an unprecedented boom in investment in African start-ups, which hit a record $5-billion in 2021. Businesses such as Flutterwave in Nigeria are tapping into rising demand for e-commerce on the continent, fuelled by better connectivity and a lack of traditional banks.

Backers

Cellulant’s backers include TPG Growth’s The Rise Fund, which led a $47.5-million round in 2018. The company operates in 18 countries and serves 35 others.

The company enables businesses to collect payments online and offline from mobile money, cards or banks. Its clients include airlines, banks, fintechs and fast-food chains including Burger King.

Investment into the start-up space has cooled globally, including in Africa after the record $5-billion of investment in 2021. However, data from deal aggregator Briter Bridges shows the total amount of money raised this year is likely to match the previous year. — Samuel Gebre, (c) 2022 Bloomberg LP